10.06.2009

Is Michael Moore a hypocrite?

Sometimes I think Michael Moore goes too far to prove a point, like when he brought the wheelchaired kid from Columbine into Wal Mart to return the bullets in his body, but he usually has the right message. The problem now is how he's presenting the message. He's selling a film about how capitalism is bad. How hypocritical do you have to be before everyone stops paying attention to you? He could show the movie to everyone for free, but that would be insane from a business standpoint.

So here's a guy using the system to his benefit and at the same time attacking it for the sake of his public image and hoping that it will force some superhero into motion that can defeat a system where even the people against it are forced to buy in. Sure he has assigned some free screenings at homeless shelters, but what can homeless people do about changing the financial culture of America? They can vote, but do we really expect someone without a home to take even an hour to vote and perhaps make a 0.0000000001% difference in anything, when they could be using that time to pick up some change off the ground or get something in their stomach?

And the last bit of hypocrisy is a minor detail, but Michael Moore is clearly obese. An obese person condemning greed, gluttony, and the American way is the hypocritical cherry on top. The "Super Size Me" guy could have saved everyone a lot of time and just showed a picture of Michael Moore. But we're all a product of the system and in this system if you're being fed, you're happy and if you're not, you're angry. You can't be both and still be taken seriously. You can't be poor and rage against the machine. There are tanks and fighter jets now, this isn't 18th century France. You have to be rich to make a difference, but why the hell would anyone wealthy and comfortable self destruct to save poor people? If that ever happens, the subsequent shock might be enough to change things, but it won't happen so fugeddaboutit.